Homecoming
by Virgo's Shadow
Summary: Set during and after the end of Return of the Jedi. Anakin watches as his children celebrate the demise of the Emperor. Little does he know that someone's been watching him.


**Disclaimer:** All of the characters used or mentioned belong to either George Lucas or Timothy Zahn. I do not own Star Wars. I wish I did, because then I'd be very rich, but I don't, so I'll be content to simply write fanfiction.

**Summary: **Set during and after the end of _Return of the Jedi_. Anakin watches as his children celebrate the demise of the Emperor. Little does he know that someone's been watching him.

_Homecoming_

He stood there beside the only two Jedi who were able to escape the horror that he had unleashed on the Old Order. He stood beside two wise men, two brilliant warriors, two men he respected. One of them had been his best friend, his mentor. He had once considered the man to have been like his father, but that was before the darkness in his heart had prevailed.

For eighteen long years did the darkness reign when suddenly the then Darth Vader met his son, the boy who had blown up the first Death Star, Luke Skywalker. Discovering that his son had been born resurrected something in Vader, and that something had been his former self, Anakin Skywalker. It took four years for the darkness to end in Vader's heart, so that Anakin could fully return. It took the love of a son who had previously hated him. And it took Vader to let go of his hate for the galaxy. When he did, however, the good and honorable man that Anakin Skywalker was soared into his flesh and metal body and he destroyed Vader's former master.

And then he died.

And now, free of his cybernetic arms and legs, free of the suit and mask that had kept him alive, Anakin Skywalker stood with the great Jedi Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, watching as the rebel troops Vader had fought to destroy, celebrated their victory over the Empire. He watched as his son hugged his friends Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa. He watched as the gambler Lando Calrissian retold his harrowing adventure to the Wookie Chewbacca.

And he smiled. He was happy that they had succeeded. At an early stage in his life as Darth Vader, he had decided that he was going to do away with the Emperor himself and then rule the galaxy. He had long ago decided that he would make Palpatine pay for deceiving him for nearly thirteen years, for betraying his trust.

But then, in a fit on anger on the planet of Mustafar, Vader had done something that Anakin could never have done. Vader had killed his own wife. He had murdered the mother of his…children.

That was something that now startled Anakin. He also had a daughter. His beautiful wife, right before she had died, had given birth to _twins_. How come he had never felt the two children within his wife's womb with the Force? He had only felt the presence of one. Perhaps one had masked the other.

Obi-Wan touched his shoulder, bringing him out of his reverie. Anakin looked up in time to see Luke turn around and walk towards the edge of the party, where Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda were. His face lit up with a smile at the sight of his two former mentors and his father. Anakin couldn't help but smile back at his son.

Suddenly, Leia Organa approached and wrapped an arm around Luke's, pulling him back. Luke smiled one last time at them before meeting his father's eyes. The Force whispered to Anakin and he knew. As they walked away he gasped.

"Yes," said a gentle voice behind him, "she is your daughter."

Anakin blinked. _No, it couldn't be_…He spun around to the most beautiful sight he had seen in over twenty-two years. Padmé Amidala Skywalker, his beloved wife, stood before him, her smile radiant.

"Padmé," he gasped and rushed forward. She opened her arms wide and welcomed his embrace.

"I knew there was still good in you," she whispered in his ear.

He pulled away from her gently. "But how—"

"Become one with the Force, all creatures do when they die," said Yoda.

"Consider this the afterlife, my old friend," Obi-Wan said with a wry grin. "Except that, with the knowledge of the Force that we have, we are able to return as specters for certain amounts of time. Padmé, unfortunately, does not. It is a skill that an old friend of ours discovered and passed on to myself and Yoda."

"Who?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "My old master."

Anakin stared blankly. "Qui-Gon Jinn? He taught you this power?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"A very wise man, Qui-Gon is. Grateful, I was, to become his apprentice in my exile," Yoda said.

"As was I," Obi-Wan agreed. "He has always been a very good teacher."

Yoda looked out at the celebration. "Accomplished, our mission is. Knows we are proud, young Luke does. Take our leave, Obi-Wan and I shall."

Obi-Wan nodded before turning back to Anakin one last time. "It is good to have you back, my friend."

He pulled Padmé close to him again. "It's good to be back."

With that, Obi-Wan and Yoda disappeared, leaving Anakin and Padmé to look out at the celebration and their children.

"They're so beautiful," Anakin murmured, watching Luke and Leia as they talked to Han Solo and their other friends. "Only now do I realize how much Leia looks like you."

"You just weren't looking properly before," Padmé said with a smile. "Luke looks a lot like you. Just as handsome."

"He also has a knack for being the hero, too," Anakin said. "Remember what I was like?"

She laughed, a sound he had missed terribly. "He is his father's son. Just as it is easy to tell that Leia is my daughter. She is a politician, after all." There was a gleam in her eye.

"The youngest senator in Galactic history," he murmured. "Yes, she is your daughter."

She grinned as she watched Han Solo lean down and kiss Leia. "He's good for her. He's wild and sometimes unorthodox. She needs that. He is already loosening her up."

He frowned. "He's a smuggler. And I'm sure she'll never forgive me for what I did to him on Bespin."

"What Vader did to him on Bespin," Padmé corrected quietly.

"We were the same men," Anakin said. "Vader is a part of me, I am ashamed to admit."

"But you are no longer Darth Vader anymore. You are Anakin Skywalker. You are a good man."

He lowered his head. "Do you forgive me, Padmé?"

"For what?"

He could not look at her. "For hurting you."

She took his hands in hers. "Obi-Wan has said for a long time that Darth Vader betrayed and murdered the good man who was Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader and the dark side of the Force overpowered a kind and loving man. But now, that kind and loving man has finally destroyed his oppressor. You have returned, my love. My Ani is home." She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

He sighed. "I think I'd rather say that I was a naive fool who was tricked by a man I trusted into believing that I could gain enough power to save the people I loved. I was tricked into betraying the people who had helped to nurture me for thirteen years and once I did, I knew that I could never go back. I was afraid. I was afraid that if I didn't do what that man said that I could lose everything, most of all you. So I did what he said. I betrayed my friends. I hated him for it. Then he told me to go out and bring 'peace' to the galaxy by destroying people who had been tricked by him too. But I hated them so much for keeping me away from you for three years that I went out and did it. I killed them. But when you came and then when I saw Obi-Wan aboard your ship, what I did to you afterwards…when I learned that you were dead, I died with you, Padmé."

A translucent tear ran down her cheek. "Oh Ani!" she cried and enveloped him in a fierce hug.

They held onto each other for a long time before Anakin slowly pulled away and watched his children again. Han Solo was keeping his arm around Leia, while Luke had separated from them, looking up at the stars.

"I'm very happy that Leia has found someone, but I fear for Luke," Padmé said to him, following his gaze.

Anakin frowned. "We should do something about that. I would not want my son going through his life not knowing the type of love that you and I share."

Padmé smiled. "And who do you suggest?"

Anakin brought the Force towards himself and let it flow through him, trying to read the future. "Then again," he murmured, "I believe the Force has something already planned." He grinned. "An alliance."

"Alliance?"

He turned to her. "The Emperor did something horrible about sixteen years ago. He took a little girl named Mara Jade from her family and trained her to be his assassin. She's very Force strong." He felt through the Force again. "They'll meet."

"And?"

"Hard to say, but I think…" He concentrated harder and then felt a bitter hatred echoing from the twenty-year-old woman on Coruscant. "She's either going to kill him or fall in love with him."

Padmé raised a delicate eyebrow. "Maybe you should make sure she doesn't kill him, then let the Force do what it wants. You mentioned an alliance."

"Yes," he replied. "If she doesn't kill him and they do fall in love, the Empire and the Rebellion will have living symbols of peace. If they wed, the war will officially end."

Padmé glanced back over at her son. "Sounds like he's got quite the eventful future. I will look forward to watching over him."

"Over both of them," he said with a smile. "And I look forward to spending eternity with you."

"As do I," she said with a grin. "Perhaps it is time that _we_ take our leave." There was a twinkle in her eye.

Anakin took one last look at his son and daughter. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

She took hold of his Jedi robes. "Come and find out." With that, she kissed him and they disappeared.


End file.
